Two recent Sandburg High School graduates have parlayed their classwork and participation in the SkillsUSA State and National competitions into college and career opportunities.
Tom Hahn and Bryan Kincaid both benefited greatly from the experience working, preparing and competing at SkillsUSA State and Nationals. Tom, ranking first at State and 18th at Nationals in Automotive Service Technology, was awarded over $39,000 worth of scholarships to attend multiple Automotive trade schools around the country. He recently was hired by JJM Automotive in Oak Lawn because of his accomplishments and has transitioned into the workplace with the skills of a master mechanic thanks to Sandburg's Applied Technology Automotive Teacher Ron Morris. Bryan ranked first at State and 5th at Nationals in Computer Maintenance and Repair. His experience working in Computer Maintenance, Cisco Networking and the Networking Independent study with Sandburg's Computers and Networking Teacher John Nanney set the framework for what Bryan considers a passion. He was recently contacted by SkillsUSA Nationals and asked to join their team as a fellow Contest Judge and Contest Supervisor at both the State and National levels in the areas of Computer Maintenance and Repair. Additionally, he is attending Moraine Valley Community College and is enrolled in their state-of-the-art Cisco Networking program with Dr. John Sands and Professor Rick Moore.
Both Sandburg graduates believe the Computers Maintenance and Automotive courses at not only helped them prepare for the State and National competitions, but also assisted in an easier transition into their post-secondary educations and careers.
